May 18, 2004
ASU TRAVELS NORTH FOR NCAA WEST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: The Arizona State men's golf team travels to Sunriver, Ore., for the NCAA West Regional May 20-22 at the Crosswater Club at Sunriver Resort (par-72, 7,597 yards). The 27 schools and six individuals will play 18 holes each of the three days. The low 10 teams and the low two individuals not on those teams will advance to the NCAA Championships held June 1-4 at Cascades Golf Course in Hot Springs, Va. The Sun Devils have won or tied for the NCAA West Regional title in three of the past six seasons and has won or tied for the West Regional title on five occasions in the 15 years of regional play, as it won outright titles in 2001, 1999 and 1995 and tied for the title in 1998 and 1991. The NCAA West Regional championship will have live scoring at www.golfstat.com.
ASU MEN'S GOLF NCAA WEST REGIONAL LINEUP
1) Chez Reavie...5-7 senior from Mesa, Ariz....46-under par in his past nine tournaments...has a 70.83 stroke average and eight top-10 finishes on the year...also has six top-five finishes this year...the 2001 U.S.G.A. Public Links champion...had a 13-under 203 at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational on April 9-10.
2) Alejandro Canizares...5-10 sophomore from Manilva, Spain...the 2003 NCAA champion...has a 71.06 stroke average this year...has won three tournaments in his career, including the 2003 National Invitational in Tucson and the 2004 ASU Thunderbird Invitational.
3) Niklas Lemke...6-1 freshman from Linkoping, Sweden...has a 73.04 stroke average.
4) Jesse Mueller...5-8 junior from Mesa, Ariz...has a 73.37 stroke average...the 2001 Arizona Amateur champion.
5) Mike Derminio...6-3 senior from Scottsdale, Ariz....has a 73.81 stroke average in five tournaments on the year.
REGIONAL STREAK: According to the NCAA Spring Championship Records Book, ASU is one of just six schools that has competed in the NCAA Regionals all 16 years it has existed (including 2004). ASU is joined by Arizona, Clemson, UNLV, North Carolina and Oklahoma State. NCAA Regional play began in 1989 and ASU has finished outside the top five just twice, when it tied for sixth in 2000 and when it finished 20th in 2002.
SUN DEVIL QUICK NOTES: ASU's best tournament of the year was on April 9-10 when it shot a tournament record 43-under 821 to win its Thunderbird Invitational at ASU's Karsten Golf Course, as sophomore Alejandro Canizares tied a tournament record with a 16-under 200...ASU has won four tournaments this year (New Mexico's Tucker Intercollegiate, UNLV's Southern Highlands Championship, the National Invitational Tournament in Tucson and its Thunderbird Invitational), its most since the 1999-2000 team also won four...senior Chez Reavie has eight top-10 finishes on the year and 22 in his four-year career...ASU has finished in the top five at the NCAAs in five of the past nine years and has won the Pac-10 title six of the past 10 years. The Sun Devils also won national championships in 1990 and 1996. ASU is led by 12th-year head coach Randy Lein, the 1996 National Coach of the Year and a seven-time winner of Pac-10 Coach of the Year (five times at ASU and twice at USC)...Reavie's 70.83 stroke average is the best since Paul Casey posted a 69.87 average in 1999-2000...ASU has won three out of the past five tournaments beginning with the UNLV Southern Highlands Championship March 12-14...Chez Reavie has shot 46-under par in the past nine tournaments.
CAREER NOTES ON SENIOR Chez Reavie: The 2001 U.S. Public Links Champion...a top-10 finisher in 22 of 41 career events...has finished in the top 10 in 17 of his past 25 tournaments...also won the 2001 Mesa City Championship by eight strokes...tied for fourth at the 2001 NCAA Championships after shooting a 7-under 281 (71-67-74-69).
Year App Top 10 Rds. Avg. Low 2003-04 12 8 36 70.83 66 2002-03 13 9 41 72.05 65 2001-02 6 3 19 73.37 67 2000-01 10 2 31 72.58 67 Career 41 22 127 72.03 65
CAREER NOTES ON SOPHOMORE Alejandro Canizares: The 2003 NCAA Champion...also earned medalist honors at 2003 National Invitational Tournament in Tucson and at the 2004 ASU Thunderbird Invitational...one of just six freshman to win the NCAA title, and just the second in the past 14 seasons (James McLean of Minnesota in 1998 was the other)...came back from six strokes on the final day to win the NCAA title with a final round 69.
Year App Top 10 Rds. Avg. Low 2003-04 12 8 36 71.06 65 2002-03 8 3 26 71.65 68 Career 20 11 62 71.31 65
SUN DEVIL AVERAGES: Both Chez Reavie and Alejandro Canizares are in the top seven with their current season stroke averages. Paul Casey set the school record with a 69.87 mark in 1999-2000. Phil Mickelson has three of the top five season averages in Sun Devil history.
ASU MEN'S GOLF SCORING AVERAGES (1987-2004) Rk. Name, Events Year Stroke Average 1. Paul Casey, 10 1999-2000 69.87 2. Phil Mickelson, 12 1991-92 69.95 3. Phil Mickelson, 11 1990-91 70.08 4. Billy Mayfair, 13 1986-87 70.59 5. Phil Mickelson, 14 1989-90 70.82 6. Chez Reavie, 12 2003-04 70.83 7. Alejandro Canizares, 12 2003-04 71.06 8. Chris Hanell, 13 1996-97 71.44 9. Matt Jones, 12 2000-01 71.46 10. Alejandro Canizares, 8 2002-03 71.65
ASU HEAD COACH Randy Lein: Randy Lein has coached 60 tournament victories in his 22 seasons, tutored 43 All-Americans and added the top accolade in collegiate golf in 1995-96 - the NCAA title - to his collection as the Sun Devils won the title in Chattanooga, Tenn., with a three-stroke victory over UNLV at the Honors Course. In his 12th season as ASU's coach, Lein has guided ASU to 38 tournament victories (including a school record six in 1995-96), seven Pac-10 titles, four NCAA West Regional wins and eight top-10 finishes at the NCAAs including the 1996 title. In addition, Lein has tutored NCAA medalist Todd Demsey and 11 All-Americans (23 occasions): Todd Demsey (3), Chris Hanell (3), Paul Casey (3), Cade Stone, Chris Stutts, Joey Snyder (2), Scott Johnson (2), Darren Angel (2), Paul Casey (3), Jeff Quinney (3), Matt Jones and Chez Reavie (1). He has won Pac-10 Coach-of-the-Year five times (1993, 1995, 1996, 1999 and 2000) while at ASU and twice at USC (1980 and 1986). Lein (pronounced "Line") is a 1975 graduate of Cal State Northridge.
SUN DEVIL FRESHMAN AVERAGES: Niklas Lemke's 73.04 stroke average currently is seventh-best by a Sun Devil freshman. Current teammate Alejandro Canizares set the school mark last year en route to NCAA medalist honors with a 71.65 stroke average in eight events, while Chez Reavie had a 72.58 stroke average in his freshman year.
ASU MEN'S GOLF FRESHMAN SCORING AVERAGES (1985-2003) Rk. Name, Events Year Stroke Average 1. Alejandro Canizares, 8 2002-03 71.65 2. Todd Demsey, 15 1991-92 72.10 3. Phil Mickelson, 14 1988-89 72.14 4. Paul Casey, 12 1997-98 72.30 5. Jeff Quinney, 11 1997-98 72.57 6. Chez Reavie, 10 2000-01 72.58 7. Niklas Lemke, 8 2003-04 73.04 8. Matt Jones, 8 1998-99 73.38 9. Billy Mayfair, 14 1984-85 73.49
ASU IN THE WEST REGIONALS: ASU has won or tied for the title in the NCAA West Regional five times and has won the event in three of the past six seasons.
NCAA West Regional Champions Year Champ ASU Finish Individual Champion 1989 Arizona 2nd Robert Gamez (Arizona) 1990 UNLV 3rd* Hub Goyen (UNLV) 1991 ASU/UA T-1st *Warren Schutte (UNLV) 1992 Arizona* 2nd Harry Rudolph (Arizona) 1993 Arizona 2nd Manny Zerman (Arizona) 1994 UNLV 2nd Edward Fryatt (UNLV) 1995 ASU 1st Mike Sauer (New Mexico) 1996 Stanford 2nd* *Tiger Woods (Stanford) 1997 UNLV 2nd Aaron Oberholser (SJ St.) 1998 ASU/UNM T-1st Paul Casey (ASU) 1999 ASU 1st Jeff Quinney (ASU) 2000 Arizona T-6th Michael Beard (Pepperdine) 2001 ASU 1st Matt Jones (ASU) Kyle Thompson (South Carolina) 2002 UNM/UW 20th Ricky Barnes (UA) Justin Smith (Minnesota) 2003 UCLA 5th Michael Letzig (UNM) *Eventual NCAA Champion